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Business big shot: Mark Armour

Nic Fildes

May 22 2012, 1:01am, The Times

Age: 57 Position: Board member, Financial Reporting Council

The FTSE 100’s longest-serving finance director, Mark Armour of Reed Elsevier, has joined the board of the Financial Reporting Council after a tumultuous period for one of the City’s best-known beancounters.

Mr Armour’s 16-year stint at the publishing group ends this year. In that time, he has acted as a lightning rod for shareholders’ discontent over the company’s strategy. He was singled out by some investors as representing the “old guard” as they became frustrated at the Anglo-Dutch company’s progress. Some were still smarting over a share buyback in 2007 that left the balance sheet stretched before its $4.1 billion acquisition of Choicepoint, the insurance services business.